1.Â An Introduction to the Common Unix Printing System (CUPS)

CUPS, the Common UNIX Printing
System, provides a portable printing layer for UNIXÂ®-based
operating systems. It has been developed by Easy Software
Products to promote a standard printing solution for all UNIXÂ®
vendors and users.

CUPS uses the Internet Printing
Protocol (IPP) as the basis for managing
print jobs and queues. The Line Printer Daemon
(LPD), Server Message Block
(SMB), and AppSocket (aka JetDirect)
protocols are also supported with reduced functionality.
CUPS adds network printer browsing and
PostScript Printer Description (PPD) based
printing options to support real-world printing under UNIXÂ®. As
a result, CUPS is ideally-suited for
sharing and accessing printers in mixed environments of FreeBSD,
LinuxÂ®, MacÂ OSÂ®Â X, or WindowsÂ®.